Category: Watch This

I’m late to the game, but recently I was sick in bed and doing what you do – scanning movies on Netflix. I saw they finally added Bradley Cooper’s 2015 movie Burnt. It’s a bit intense, but I really enjoyed it. The acting is fantastic, the score is moving, and it had great energy. The film follows Adam Jones, a chef who’s downward spiral into drugs and jerky behavior cost him his career, and a slew of burned bridges. Adam is determined, after getting clean, to gaining respect in the industry again, and chasing the ever elusive three Michelin stars. With some charm and hustle, he puts together a pretty great team, and is on his way to working through his issues, and achieving his goals. One of the things that tugged on my heartstrings the most was the relationships people had with Adam. Even though he’d burned them in the past, there were people in his corner rooting for him to be the best version of himself, they knew was possible. Such an example of unconditional love and forgiveness, even on a friendship level. Burnt was refreshing because it was a little bit different than anything I’d watched recently. Plus, make the setting London for any film and you’ve definitely got my interest. If you haven’t seen Burnt already I say, check it out!

My oh my, I don’t even know where to start with the Judd Apatow’s incredible documentary on The Avett Brothers, May It Last. When it was first announced that the film would have a one night showing in theaters nationwide, prior to the release of the film on HBO in January, I was still living in Florida. The closest theater playing it was about two hours away, and it was a Tuesday. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to swing that, but the temptation was real. Well, I moved to Nashville Labor Day weekend, so it turned out that I was lucky enough to be about fifteen minutes from a theater playing it last week. From reading tons of posts of praise across social media, I knew I was in for something special, but I wasn’t prepared for how amazing it was. As a viewer in the audience, it felt like these people invited you into their homes (well, they did literally,) and gave such an intimate glimpse into their lives. The rawness and realness that is portrayed in the film is just something entirely unique. I have chills just trying to write about it. There are so many scenes in the film that made me love them even more than I did, prior to seeing it.

When Scott and Seth’s mom talks about how Scott didn’t trust her supervision skills of Seth when they were younger, and had an irrational fear of him being kidnapped and would insist on accompanying them anywhere. The boys talking about when Scott when off to college, they would record song ideas on one another’s voicemails, and mail cassette tapes back and forth. Finding out that Bob played for them in a parking lot, and basically did not have prior stand up bass experience! (Um, wow.) The emotional discussion of Hailey’s health journey after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and the way the whole crew rallied around one another. Them talking about how that was a real moment of figuring out faith, deciding what they believed. Seth and Jennifer talking about becoming parents. The discussion of divorce. The poignant moments following the recording of “No Hard Feelings” and the discussion of the elephant in the room. The emotion in that scene was so intense, that it almost seemed palpable. I almost felt uncomfortable as if we were seeing something we shouldn’t have permission to see because it was such a vulnerable conversation.

The scene where the boys are working through the lyrics to “Wish I Was” was one of my most absolute favorite moments of the film. It was incredible to see how this stream of poetry just falls from their mouths in literal seconds. Their ability to bounce ideas off of one another and make it work so seamlessly is incredible. Following the transition from this scene, you could hear whispers throughout the theater. I have a feeling it was over the awe inspiring brilliance of the moment. I mean, Seth and Scott Avett are both masters of the craft but it was so intriguing to watch how obviously this is what they were born to do, music is the language that they speak.

There’s a time early on in the film where Scott is being interviewed as he drives. He discusses how growing up, and to this day, they all just thought that everyone would want to know their feelings on things, that they were supposed to share them, and that people wanted to hear them. That’s just the way they operated. (In that moment, I felt a sense of kindred spiritness. I mean, hey…that’s probably why I write this blog because I have an innate need to share my thoughts and feelings on the things I care about.)

One of the coolest parts of the film to me, was that person after person in one-on-one interviews, (so not overhearing someone speak it before them) touched on how special the relationship between Scott and Seth is, and that they don’t see brothers who have that connection like that often. Plus, the fact that they can work together the way that they do. This was extended to what an experience it is to work with the band, and how close and cohesive everyone is as a whole. Key terms that kept being repeated were the kindess, respect, and love shared across the board.

I think fans of The Avett Brothers have caught on to this because it’s obvious there’s something extremely special about this group of people. If you’ve ever seen them live, then you know they are literally opening their hearts up on that stage, and pouring it out. But the really cool thing is that now the rest of the world can see what makes this group so unique.

When watching May It Last, it’s not like “oh this will be a cool movie to see” it’s more like a journey or experience you are taking, or joining in. As soon as the film ended, I thought to myself “I can’t wait to see that again.” (Funny enough that’s the exact same reaction I have every time one of their concerts comes to a close. It’s why people travel across the country and see them play three nights in a row.) This film made me laugh and cry, and I can’t tell you how many times I caught myself grinning from ear to ear as I stared up at the screen (that was if my mouth wasn’t hanging open in awe over whatever new thing surprised me.)

PS: Encore dates have been added at certain theaters, so check out the list and see if there’s a showing near you!

Confession: I guess I lied when I said I probably wouldn’t watch Freeform anymore after Pretty Little Liars ended. Well, I was wrong because something magical slipped into that 9pm time slot. My favorite show on television right now is Freeform’s The Bold Type. Yes, I love Game of Thrones in all of its dragon splendor, but The Bold Type just speaks to me. The show follows three friends in New York City, working for a women’s magazine called Scarlett. I want Jacqueline to be my life coach. I want to sit on the floor in that merchandising closet with my girl friends and figure out life – how to pay your rent when you just took a job that pays less than you were making, or commiserating when you had a meltdown and yelled at your boss in the middle of the office, or when you started a relationship that could actually be great and got scared and broke it off on an impulse. The acting is brilliant. If it were any other show, these plots delivered by any other actresses you would think it was cheesy. No. Here, they’re delivered with sass, wit, class. The execution is spot on. The writing is fabulous. Honestly, I wish I could be a fly on the wall in their writer’s room, just to pick these genius’s brains. (Hence why I follow them on Twitter.) The creators of The Bold Type found a way to combine the funny one liners from Pretty Little Liars, with the heart of girlfriendship of Sex and the City, and the grit of relatable dramas like This Is Us or Gilmore Girls. Sure there are jokes, there are quirky story lines, but at the end of the day it’s people taking care of each other. These girls are seriously going after their dreams, (kicking their heels off and running down city streets barefoot to go after what they want – style.) I think you could be a twenty something, thirty something, forty, fifty etc. something and find a way to relate to this show. The pep talks Jacqueline gives the girls, or they give each other, or their coworkers pass along – they’re pep talks we all need to hear sometimes. It’s a good reminder watching other people make mistakes, that one screw up isn’t the end of the world. Your most mortifying moments will be put behind you, and you’ll move on – growing thicker skin in the journey. As an extra perk the music is wonderful, and I’ve found new songs to obsess over every week. I can not tell you how refreshing this show has been. I look forward to Tuesdays knowing it will make me laugh, cry, contemplate, or push myself to change my circumstances. You can access FreeForm online and catch up on the episodes. It airs Tuesday nights on Freeform. No one is paying me to type this, or promote it, (though hey – I wouldn’t hate it, haha.) I’m just sincerely obsessed with this show, and want everyone I know to give it a shot! Don’t miss the latest episode airing tonight!

Tallahassee used to have this great spot called The Hop Yard. They had a beer garden, and an entertainment stage, and pretty white lights and picnic benches, and they served a variety of craft beer. Many a night were spent there – in my last few years in the city it was definitely one of my favorite places to hang out. We had celebrations, goodbye parties, random weeknights, and occasionally I’d go by myself (which wasn’t ever a big deal because the people who showed up were awesome, and would I be me if I passed up an opportunity to see a summer screening of Almost Famous on the big screen? I think not.) One of the coolest events they’d put on, was throwing up a big projector screen and having movie night. (Everything from Elf to Rocky Horror Picture Show to Clueless.) It probably comes as no surprise that this was right up my ally. Well, my friend Jackie and I were pretty much regulars, and one night they were showing the 2003 movie The Room. Neither of us had ever seen it, (or heard of it at that point) and had no idea what to expect. Boy were we in for an entertaining evening. Admittedly this film is kind of horrible, but it definitely brings truth to the “so bad it’s good” idea. Some have even called it, “the worst movie ever made.” I say it’s a viewing experience.

All that being said, James Franco is directing a movie that is “the story of the making of The Room” based on Greg Sestero’s book. Awesome idea right? The film stars James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Hannibal Buress, Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, and more…. There’s been chatter about the film floating around for a while, but the first teaser trailer for The Disaster Artist was released today. I might’ve already watched it three times. We have a while until the December 8th wide release date (info from the Wiki page), so you have time to watch The Room if you haven’t seen it yet. In the meantime, enjoy this teaser trailer…

I have barely gone to the movie theater in 2017, but there was one movie I saw the trailer for several months prior to its release, I just knew I wasn’t going to miss. Gifted starring Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, and also included Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer, and Lindsay Duncan in this incredible cast. I tend to go to the movies by myself, but this one I saw with my parents, and it was great to know I wasn’t the only one that went through several tissues during this drama. McKenna Grace plays Mary, a spunky, spirited, brilliant little girl being raised by her Uncle Frank (Chris Evans) in Florida. Frank unfortunately gets into a custody battle with his mother, but it’s not any usual custody battle – Evelyn wants Mary because she’s basically a child prodigy and she wants to exploit her abilities. Jenny Slate plays Bonnie, Mary’s teacher who recognizes her unmistakable talent, but also gets Frank’s desires for Mary to have as normal a childhood as possible. The film is just beautifully done. You can tell that the cast seriously bonded with one another, and the chemistry is so palpable, I forgot that all of these characters aren’t related to one another in real life. (Isn’t that the goal of a film – make the whole story undoubtedly real?) I really loved the message in this story too. Frank so badly wanted Mary to really get the chance to be a kid. I won’t ruin the story, but it explores plenty of themes – the value of family, finding balance in life, figuring out ways to acknowledge a gift but not make life ever be about only one thing. The soundtrack was amazing, the cast was astonishingly talented, the story was beautiful and it’s funny but some of the parts that made me sob in the theater weren’t even “sad” they were just so incredibly touching. I laughed, I cried, I got mad at characters, I thought about relationships and life, and the little things. I know I haven’t recommended a movie in a while, but if there’s one you’re going to add to your To Watch list, this should be it. The cast deserve some major awards for these performances!